foi-data-request

# FOI Data Request ## What This Skill Does Drafts a Freedom of Information request specifically targeting datasets, databases, or digital records — written to maximise the chance of receiving complete, machine-readable data rather than summary PDFs or partial tables. ## When To Use This Skill - You want to obtain a specific dataset held by a public body and need the request worded precisely enough to prevent a narrow interpretation - You have already received an FOI response containing a summary table and want to re-request the underlying data in full - You want to include specific clauses requesting machine-readable format, codebooks, and data dictionaries alongside the data - You need to ask for multiple related datasets in a single, clearly organised request ## What You Need To Provide **Required:** The name of the public body you are submitting to. A description of the data you believe they hold — what it records, the approximate time period, and what you have found in published reports or previous FOIs that suggests it exists. Your name (or a publication name if submitting formally). **Optional:** Specific columns or fields you know exist; the file format you want the data in (CSV, Excel, database export); any known previous FOI that touched the same data; jurisdiction (to ensure correct statutory references are used). ## How the Assistant Approaches This 1. Structures the request around the specific data sought — naming fields, date ranges, and systems where known —...